It all started with the idea of helping
horses. Hunters, jumpers, Thoroughbreds at the race track, young
horses, problem horses - for Bruce Anderson, it didn't matter
which breed or discipline - his goal in life was to help horses.
As he followed his path with that one idea in mind, he began
to realize that while he was helping horses, the horses were
in turn helping him as a person. Thus began the evolution of
Nature's View, an experiential system that enables horses to
find balance between two worlds - "Nature's
World", the world for which they were created, and "Man's World," the
world which we, as humans, created. By using the system, you are
working with a horse's mind, and once you have the mind, the rest
of the body follows. As you teach the horse about Man's World (as you know
it), you use your own natural mental skills. In turn, the horse
will in turn put you back in touch with nature, while allowing
you to find balance within yourself and be the best that you can
be. The better you are, the better the horse will be.

"Do what I tell you to do" becomes "How
can I help you?" Photo by Dave Robinson

"It's all about changing your mindset. Your job is to help your
horse learn about "Man's World." In order to do that, you first
need to understand how to go into the horse's world." Anderson
's philosophy is to change the attitude of "Do what I tell you
to do" into "How can I help you?" Using Nature's View, he helps
people learn to become the alpha in a herd of two (the herd being
made up of the horse and the person), as opposed to anything else. "The
horse's lifestyle is different in his natural setting as opposed
to the environment we bring him into. For example, in the herd,
there is a certain pecking order where he has a number of teachers.
When we bring him into our world, we need to teach him about the
world he is coming into, and become "the alpha" of the herd of
two."

Anderson 's thoughts and views come from
a combination of years of working with horses based on "trial and error" experiences,
as well as tools learned from various clinicians and teachers in
the equine world. He grew up on the West Indian sister islands
of Trinidad and Tobago , and it was there on the family cocoa and
coffee estate that he began his relationship with horses. He learned
to ride on the estate, and then represented Trinidad on the National
Show Jumping Team. From there he moved on to breeding farms on
the islands, in the U.K. and in the U.S. While in England , he
earned an agricultural degree and in the U.S. worked with racehorses
and show horses in Florida . Then he moved to Camden , S.C. to
manage a hunter/ jumper barn. While in Camden , he began specializing
in natural round pen work. It was there that Nature's View began
to evolve.

Bruce and Marie on the estate.

What is Nature's View?

In the round pen you simulate life in
the horse's world. In order to establish yourself as the "alpha", the initial work is based
on four tasks: movement, direction, rhythm and track. "In working
with a horse, I use my body to apply pressure," says Anderson , "the
same way that you use your legs and reins when you ride. In the
round pen, your body represents your reins and the pressure you
put on represents your legs. In other words, pressure means something,
but the horse tells you how much pressure to apply. In this situation,
you practice giving up control, thereby being in control and setting
the example for the horse. This is a way you can practice your
riding, as well as your timing, your feel, and many other things,
all without actually riding the horse. It can be the beginning
of a step by step process of gaining the horse's trust so that
you can build a solid foundation." After the initial work, a systematic
approach is used to test the horse's body, first along one side,
front to back, then moving to the other side, for one of the ideas
in Nature's View is that for every horse, there are two horses,
the left and the right. "We do this to test the body in order to
find if we get a negative response or one of the three "F's" (freeze,
flee or fight) due to a lack of understanding. Depending on the
horse's reaction, we can tell if there are issues in that part
of the body, mentally transforming "mistakes" or negatives into
positives because we know which areas need work. Finally, after
the ground work, when you add the saddle, bridle and rider, you
have a harmonious relationship and a partner who is ready to work
with you. If the initial experience is positive, a solid foundation
is laid and a remarkable partnership will develop. During this
process a two-fold thing is happening. You think you're there to
teach horses, but in the end, they're teaching you about yourself."

Once you have the horse's mind, the
rest of the body will follow.Photo by Julianne Rickenbaker

When Anderson works with a client and
horse, he coaches them through a series of "mental pictures" which provides the opportunity to
determine which areas of their training may need work. "Many times
we teach horses to be dependent on us by telling them where to
go and what to do; we always have something attached, whether it
is a halter and lead line or bridle and reins. Using Nature's View,
we take away these artificial attachments, and by using pressure,
one of his natural forms of communication, ask for what you would
like, allowing the horse to make choices for himself and learn
about consequences if he makes the wrong choices. This allows you
the opportunity to simulate life in our world and let him know
what can happen to him in it when he makes that mental choice.
Having no attachments can be an advantage that can help you to
strengthen your "mind power." While you are increasing your mental
skills, you are building confidence in your horse and at the same
time building your own self-empowerment. This also allows the horse
to rely on his natural instincts and gives you the opportunity
to practice life skills such as listening, timing, feel, patience,
and many more."

While in the round pen, one of the tools
is a 35-foot lariat, which can be used as an extension of your
arm. This makes it possible to "reach out and touch the horse" without making it necessary
to act as a predator, while also preserving your safety. Using
the rope also teaches you to "give up control;" in other words,
you must "listen" to the rope in order to roll it up. This parallels
listening to the horse; after all, the horse teaches us to
teach him . Using the rope allows you
to practice this mindset.

The first step is to change your way of
thinking. If your attitude truly is "How can I help you?" your focus will be on "listening" to
what the horse is telling you to do to accomplish your picture.
This takes the pressure off of you and allows you to be "in the
zone." You have a picture and the horse tells you what to do to
create the picture. The more you improve the horse's knowledge,
the easier your task will be. This can benefit horses and riders
in all disciplines. Jeanne Smith, owner, trainer and manager of
Clear View Farm in Landrum , South Carolina has seen the benefits
of the work first-hand. "Watching Bruce work with my clients is
fascinating. Bruce's intuition allows him to focus in on the weakest
areas of the person and the horse. Through his work he produces
confidence in those who have low self-esteem, and clarity and commitment
to those who are confused. With this solid foundation it clearly
makes my job easier."

Using the system, there are five rules.

- Rule #1: There are no rules.

- Rule #2: Your safety.

- Rule #3: The horse's safety.

- Rule #4: Conservation.

- Rule #5: See rule #1.

While following these rules, participants
often see that the situations that occur in the round pen often
parallel or "mirror" situations
that occur in their lives. In working to help the horse, you can
also work on changing negative habits that you have acquired and
work toward self-improvement. In fact, although the system is used
for horse owners and trainers, the system can be used to improve
relationship skills for couples or families. For example, in working
with the horse, children can learn parenting skills by setting
boundaries for their horses. For a career professional, as you
learn to be committed to helping the horse stay on track in the
round pen, you can envision the parallels to being committed to
staying on track in your career. Round pen work using Nature's
View can even be used in addition to traditional therapy methods.
Mary Lynn Syzmandera, director of the Equine Program at Pavillon
Treatment and Renewal Center , has seen positive results with her
clients. "Working with Bruce in the round pen brought each individual's
patterns and feelings to the surface as they attempted to have
the horse complete the task they were given or the task they gave
themselves. In each instance, the horse became the mirror for where
they were, where they were stuck, or what they were feeling. As
a therapist, it is important to me that the client discovers his
or her own "monsters." The issues became glaringly apparent to
the client who is working with the horse in the round pen and,
in this case, to the family members observing the process."

Nature's View can also benefit business/
corporate and school groups with the emphasis on self esteem
and teambuilding. Urica Pope, Program Coordinator for the Creative
Services Department of South Carolina ETV, recently worked with
Nature's View to bring the system to groups of young girls participating
in a gender equity program. "There is a valuable lesson to be learned from it," said
Pope. "We chose this program because it deals with leadership.
We want the girls to work together and with the horse as a team-building
program." For Bobbi Kennedy, vice president for continuing education
at S.C. ETV, the goal is teaching young girls that they can "take
on a complex topic and master it." Kennedy said that the girls
don't just learn for themselves but learn how to work as a team,
a concept that is a constant theme in the program. In workshops
with Anderson using two horses, the girls also covered topics such
as anger management, self confidence and how to say "no."

Tech Teams from S.C. ETV working on
gender equality with the horse as a metaphor for life. Photo
by Julianne Rickenbaker

"The nice thing about this work is that it allows
you to be the best that you can be. If you come in here and do
something that you are afraid to do, and do it well, you will build
your self esteem," says Anderson . "Also, in doing this work, I've
found that horses are helping humans find balance in their lives.
With horses as a representative of nature, in working with them,
people are getting back in touch with the environment through the
horse, thereby finding balance in both worlds - "Man's World" and "Nature's
World." Give a man a fish, feed him for the day; teach a man to
fish, feed him for a lifetime: but you've got to let him get to
the pond. If we stay on the path that we're on, there quite possibly
may be no fish left in the pond. Using Nature's View, we can change
our mindsets to find that balance." And for Anderson , after all,
the goal is to help horses; the best way may be to show that once
again, as they did before the Industrial Revolution, horses can
play a vital role in our society.

Julianne Rickenbaker is the mother of
five horses, two dogs and three cats who make their home at Thornfield,
an equine facility in Ridgeway , South Carolina . She recently
began combining her two loves, dressage and music, and arranging
musical freestyles. In her "spare time," she is an
elementary music teacher and church musician. She also thoroughly
enjoys helping Bruce with Nature's View.